Hardwood notice boards

Helmdon Parish Council notice boards, new and old

On the face of it, the image (right) looks like the kind of unremarkable scene that can be witnessed in communities up and down the land. However, dig a little deeper and an interesting snippet of history is revealed.

The board on the right is one of 3 boards recently supplied by Greenbarnes Ltd to Helmdon Parish Council, Northamptonshire. In itself there is nothing remarkable in that; Greenbarnes Ltd has been supplying local authorities throughout the UK with similar boards for many years. The board on the left however is the first ever Greenbarnes notice board, made in 1990 as a prototype, subsequently donated to the local Parish Council and still going strong 23 years later!

In fact, it was a chance remark about the poor state of the village notice boards overheard by Mike Barnes whilst attending a local Parish Council meeting all those years ago, that first suggested the idea of turning the humble village notice board, previously made on demand by the local carpenter, into a properly considered and detailed product. The rest, as they say, is history!

Nor is the Helmdon board untypical in its longevity. A recent enquiry received from a church in Surrey for a replacement hinge for one of our boards, lead back to Job no 17. To put this in context current job numbers are in the region of 12500. And yes, we still had the details on file and were able to supply the necessary hinge!

One way to provide a new community facility and celebrate the Jubilee at the same time - a 3-bay oak notice board with central commemorative panel.

The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee isn’t just a national holiday. Such events have always been a time for people to come together and celebrate.

This tradition presents local communities with an excellent opportunity to create local commemorative projects and strengthen their sense of time and place. At one level this can take the form of something ephemeral such as a street party or carnival parade, and in today’s climate of seemingly unremitting gloom, who can deny that there is something to be said for capitalising on the opportunity for a little fun?

On the other hand, such events have also historically given rise to a host of more permanent projects to establish community assets of lasting use, ranging from the planting of a single commemorative tree or something as far-reaching as the 471 King George’s Playing Fields that were established across the UK following the death of George V in 1936.

In 2002 Greenbarnes was proud to be part of this tradition, celebrating the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and helping local organisations mark the event for posterity and in 2012 we are poised to mark the Diamond Jubilee similarly. With the attention of towns and parishes across the UK turning to the question of how best to mark the event, now is the time to give serious consideration to those more tangible projects which will offer lasting benefit.

Given the current mantra of austerity it also makes to use funds dedicated to the event for end which have a permanent benefit. Whether you are looking for a new notice board complete with commemorative panel, interpretation signage for a new open space, a display cabinet for precious artefacts or a simple plaque, 25 years of craftsmanship, innovation and dedication to high standards means that we deliver the quality that your community deserves.

Ring our sales team now on 01280 701093 to discuss your Jubilee project, or email our Sales Department for sound advice and no-obligation quotations.